Our patents and copending applications have described how laser beams may be used to process materials in order to change the look of those materials. For example, our U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,444 teaches a way in which the density of applied laser energy per each unit time (xe2x80x9cEDPUTxe2x80x9d) of the output of a laser can be controlled to change the look of a material, without actually unintentionally damaging the material. The surface characteristics and hence look of the material may be changed by this processing without burning through or otherwise unintentionally damaging the material. Our other patent applications also describe user interfaces that can be used to form various features on the material. By appropriate selection of the way that a numerically controlled laser is driven, it becomes possible to form new designs on the material which have not been previously possible to form.
Other patent applications,and patents describe special designs that can be formed.
The present application describes processing these materials in bulk. In an embodiment, a conveyor concept of processing materials of this type may be extended to form special kinds of materials and material handling techniques in a way such that standard sized textile materials, typically formed on textile rolls, can be processed in bulk.
The present application teaches a number of techniques associated with processing the material in bulk, and after such processing, using the material to form final products.
The present application teaches different size rolls of conventional sizes, current textile sizes of which may include 60 inches, 62 inches, 70 inches, 72 inches and 108 inches, and other conventional sizes, can be processed as a single unit. Different techniques are disclosed, including handling the current textile width, as well as different conveyor systems which can be used for this textile.
A process of scan and index is disclosed, in which either a rectangular section or a square section can be processed. The technique of forming panels can be used to form different types of panels.
A process of scribing on-the-fly is also described.
Different applications are described for this system.
Another technique describes a digital process that can uniquely change the processing on-the-fly.